196kirka

Racism is about the same in the military as on the outside. I was in 28 yrs. and the racism I noticed was from blacks and Puerto Ricans. Racism is a career ender for a white male but is overlooked when it involves blacks and Puerto Ricans.

RichardQ

I served in the segregated Army Air Force in WWII. The
practice was enforced by the dominance of southern officers and EM, and the fact that most military bases were located in southern states. The military leaders reluctantly were forced to surrender that authority
years after that war ended, but I'm sure there are still officers and non-coms who prefer the old rules.
I've seen a lot of improvement, but the problem is now exacerbated by the sexual orientation uproar as well.
An organization as tradition-bound as the military is bound to be as divided as the conservative-liberal fight
in the federal government, but the conservative element
still dominates the military commands.

dalepotter

We The People need not look at each other with some blame game attitude such as racism. You may be dominantly white or black or some other color, but there are no pure races in America. We are all the same and that's what makes us One Nation Under God, Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We should always keep our eyes rather on the Flag for that is a symbol of We The People and it is not a symbol of government. It is our unity. "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag Of The United States Of America; And To The Republic (the group of people) For Which It Stands, One Nation (supported by the people) Under God (The Creator of all men), Indivisible (we cannot be separated) With Liberty and Justice For All". All means every individual foreign and domestic that wants to support our cause. It is not a government initiative, it is a law of nature that all men are created equal. In conclusion, we cannot depend on the government to formulate a love or respect for all people within ourselves; it has to come from within our own being. Therefore, we need desperately to look within ourselves and then compare our decisions to the statement that we are all endowed with certain inalienable rights. Keep your eyes on the flag America, that is our only source of unity that is accepted by all people, Nationwide.

MitchellGoenner

I can think of two instances of racism in the six years I've been in so far. One was by a young white Soldier. He used a racial slur towards a young black Soldier who made him angry. He was dealt with quickly and severely by the chain of command.

The other instance was less blatant. A young black Soldier told me once that he wanted out of our National Guard unit and that he wanted to transfer to a more urban area. (our unit was based in a rural farming community) He said he wanted to go to a unit that was more "diverse." In reality he was saying he didn't want to be in a unit that was primarily white. He also had a habit of pulling the race card whenever he made a mistake.

I can say I've seen much less in the military than I have in the civilian world, but it still does exist. We as a force mirror our society. Until racism is no longer a part of our society we will have to continue to deal with it. All we can do as leaders is do our best to remove it from our force.

AMargin958

There is no stronger, example-setting segment of our society than our military. Racism will always exist to some extend everywhere, to include our military, but the military experience favors tolerance and reduces cross-cultural ignorance. And given the onslaught of liberal ideals imposed upon our youth through academia, what better way to foster racial compatibility and to counter the negativity liberalism has on the fabric of our society than to institute conscription for every able-bodied American of sound mind for a period of 3 or 4 years beginning no later than age 20? I firmly believe that conscription is the only potential salvation for American culture as it was intended ... a way to positively influence all young Americans in their formative years.

krscott7

I traveled many places overseas and not just the nice places. There were severe problems towards women, towards gay, and anyone that wasn't part of the surrounding cliquish group. There were a lot of sexual harassment, violence, & discrimination. Many times female soldiers career's & health were destroyed with irreversible conditions. These crimes & wrong doings were not held accountable. There were racism black males being racist not just whites and far too much sexism and sexist harmful unlawful actions that hurt many. Too much cover ups. There were many that I worked with that were wonderful human beings & fellow soldiers. I believe in serving our Country. No one should ever deal with being attacked and deal with attempt rape at the work place. Then when you stand up to do corrective actions to prevent anyone else from being harmed you are retaliated against. Just remember you let them go they will continue to do harm and will come back home to do the same crimes. It is very important to allow corrective measured to be made instead of cover ups. By doing this it destroys too many lives.